June 12, 2024 • 18 mins
10 Heartfelt Last-Minute, Money-Saving, Father's Day Gift Ideas for Your Elderly Dad!
🎁👴 Are you struggling to find the perfect Father's Day gift for your elderly dad, who says he has everything?
Whether you’re dealing with the challenge of finding something special or just looking for a new way to show your love, we’ve got you covered.
In this special episode of Eldercare Success, Nancy May shares her top 10 creative and thoughtful gift ideas that will bring a smile to your dad's face and create lasting memories, for you, dad, and even mom too..
⭐ Helpful Links
- 🌊Chills Cooling Pad
- 🧦 Ski Socks
- 📚 National Geographic
- 💌 Heroes to Heroes
- ⚓U-505 capture during WWII
- Podcast: Eldercare Success (please share with those you care about)
- Book: How to Survive 911 Medical Emergencies, Step-by-Step Before, During, and After
- Eldercare Success on YouTube
- Eldercare Success, link to ask Nancy a question: A small blue tab on the right side of the page says "Send a Voice Mail Message to Nancy." Click on that and follow the directions on the pop-up. ...
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker (00:00):
here are top 10 ideas for last minute Father's Day gifts for an elderly
dad who says, Oh, don't buy me anything.
I've got everything I need.
Stay tuned.
There's a lot more in store.
Hello everybody.
It's Nancy May and welcome toanother episode of Eldercare Success.
(00:21):
This is a special one, becauseit's all about our dads.
But before I get going on that top10 list, one of the things I'm going
to really recommend that you get.
is the book, How to Survive 911Medical Emergencies, a step by step
guide before, during, and after.
There's a lot of information in therethat is easy to follow and easy to
(00:43):
read, including a whole list of thingsthat can help make your life easier as
a caregiver, some of the things thatyou need to take care of mom and dad
that you might not even know about.
And yes, there are also a ton of tipsto make sure that you have a better
experience in the emergency room andthe hospital and making sure that mom and
dad get discharged faster, either to backhome, a care facility or rehab facility.
(01:09):
there's a lot that you don't knowthat you can have more control
over on those situations and more.
So please, I recommend you buy thefive star rated book, How to Survive
911 Medical Emergencies, a step bystep guide before, during, and after.
It's authored by moi.
Yes, and a lot of work wentinto that specifically for you.
(01:34):
And now let's get on with the show.
Father's Day gifts for an elderly dadwho really doesn't want anything or who
really has everything can be difficult.
I mean, honestly, whoneeds another sweater?
Maybe another hat?
I don't know, maybe a meal out?
It's okay, but it's kind of boring, and Idon't want to say thoughtless, but there's
(01:58):
not a whole lot that goes into that.
It's the same old, same old, yearin, year out, what am I going to do?
I'll get him another tie.
Well, an elderly dad probablydoesn't wear a tie too often.
In any case, it's challenging toget something that's from the heart
and that will be helpful to him.
And maybe an aid that's taking careof him or taking care of mom too.
(02:22):
That aid could be you.
Like I said in last week'sepisode, it pays to be a little
creative when out and about.
And when you go that route,it can be lots of fun.
So let me get into these top 10 ideasthat are short notice, easy to pick up
and easy to do, and I'm pretty sure aregoing to be well appreciated by dad.
(02:45):
Idea Number One:.
One challenge that elderly peoplehave is getting overheated, especially
when they're sleeping at night onthose plastic cover mattresses.
Now, okay, incontinence is an issue,which is why a lot of mattresses are
covered with plastic, either in thehospital, well, it also makes things
easier to clean up for them, even at home.
(03:07):
if you have one of those plasticcovers on, let's say, a traditional non
hospital like mattress, you know, thecushy ones, like a Sealy or something
else like that, just to make surethe mattress stays clean no matter
what, accidents happen, that's okay.
They can create a lot of warmthand heat against the body.
There's no breathing of thefabric there and it's difficult
(03:28):
and crunchy to sleep on.
Being too warm is uncomfortable.
Also being too cold is uncomfortable.
but on the case of being toowarm, I found something that's
called a Chills Cooling Pad.
The funny thing is, it wasactually made for dogs.
And I got one for my older dog,who's got a little bit of arthritis
(03:49):
and is feeling the aches and pains.
I can see that.
But dad is not really man'sbest friend, aka a dog.
But I know your dad is pretty special.
The interesting thing is, I wasn'tquite sure whether this cooling
or chills pad would really work.
So I tested it on my older dog.
(04:09):
He seemed to be pretty comfortable on it.
I took my shoes off, walked onit to see if it was really doing
what it was supposed to be doing.
Well, it felt okay.
But then I tested it on my ownbed to see what would happen.
I laid down directly on it.
It's a little chilly.
But underneath the sheets,it's pretty comfortable.
(04:30):
So, Dog Tested, Nancy Tested.
If Dad gets overheated at night, Irecommend finding Chills Cooling Pad.
I'll put a link in theepisode notes for that one.
And just so you know,I got the big dog size.
Not that Dad's a big dog,but, well, maybe he is.
(04:50):
Socks.
Now, number two is socks.
socks sound pretty boring, but the jazzy,crazy, wild, fabulous kind of ski socks
that are out there, those can be fun.
They're a little bit more difficultto find in the summertime,
This time is June, right?
But they can be crazy andwild and easy to find online.
(05:13):
I used to pick those crazy kind of socksup at Dick's Sports anytime I saw them.
Dad loved them and they were fun.
They kept his feet warm with neuropathy,but the rest of his body stayed
cool and comfortable as he wanted.
When his favorite aides, Millie,Iris, and Addie helped him put
those on in the morning, he wouldsay, Oh boy, oh boy, va va va voom!
(05:37):
Ha ha ha ha!
I know those socks reminded him of thetime that he used to ski in college.
Wood skis, believe it or not.
And also the time that he shared whenhis college buddies actually took
him up to the top of a ski slope andpushed him down one of those ski jumps.
He had never been onanything like that before.
(05:57):
Well, thankfully he made it downin one piece because dad was
here with me to 99 and 47 days.
Gotta love that.
Speaking of socks, if you can't find thecrazy ones, Why not paint them yourself?
Go to Michaels or a craftstore and get fabric paints.
You can put XOXO on the top so he can readthem when he's looking down at his feet
(06:21):
and your name or your kid's names, hisgrandkids or anybody else that you want.
Kind of fun.
And every time he puts them on, Iguarantee he'll have some sort of comment.
Ideally, if he loves them.
Tip number three is a story jar.
I love this one because it's soeasy to do and it's ever changing.
(06:43):
Here's what you need to do.
Get a large jar with one ofthose snap close lids on them.
Ideally huge, about a gallon size or so.
You can get them at a variety store, akitchen store, or in most grocery stores.
Or even Walmart and Target.
They're not expensive.
I'd say probably about 5.
Take colored craft paper or smallnote cards and write out a fun story
(07:06):
about an adventure that you all hadtogether as a family, or something
that you've done on your own thatyou wanted to share with your dad.
You can even add small photosscanned in from your computer
and print it out and fold it upwith a little tagline underneath.
the amount of fun you can haveis only dependent upon how many
stories you put in that jar.
(07:27):
Every day for Dad becomes a newjoy filled adventure and a story.
I suggest you even add thelittle wonky stories, like my dad
used to eat everything I made.
It never failed.
Sometimes they were good andsometimes they weren't so good.
True story.
while learning to make bread, well,my breads were kind of doorstoppers
(07:49):
to start until I figured outhow to get the yeast to rise.
Thank you, King Arthur Flour.
But a couple of those loavesended up being doorstoppers.
One, my dad even broke a knife in.
I've gotten a lot better since then.
But I can remember thatafternoon like it was yesterday.
You'll also have a good laugh on that one.
(08:11):
tip number four, if dad enjoyedgardening in years past, but can't
get out to the garden, he's a littlestiff, a little slow, or just, it's
not safe to get out there, Then createa windowsill herb and veggie garden.
You can take all of the suppliesthat you need to do so, bring them
over to Dad, and put them togetheryourself, with his help of course.
(08:34):
Maybe he won't actuallyparticipate, but I can guarantee
he'll give you good direction.
Plant them in a planter that can siton the sill, and when they're ready
to harvest, or cut, scrambled eggs.
Or, a delicious simple syrup that'sflavored with some of those veggie herbs.
(08:55):
That's really easy to do.
All you do is take one cup ofboiling water to one cup of sugar,
add the two together, make surethe sugar is dissolved, stuff a
bunch of those herbs in there.
The best is really mint.
Oh, it's delicious.
Once it's cooled, you can take a coupleof spoonfuls of that delicious liquid and
(09:16):
put it into a fresh glass of iced tea,lemonade, or even an Arnold Palmer drink.
it's a great gift that keepson giving and moving forward.
And it's yummy too.
Tip number five is a special dayout, which is always something
that we love doing, but thisone can be just you and dad.
In this case, if you can't be therewith Dad on Father's Day, which we
(09:39):
all can't, you might want to create acoupon book with ideas and a bunch of
groupon deals with a note on each ofwhat you can do next time you're there.
Maybe even for the next six months asyou come to visit next time, you can
sit down and have fun figuring outwhich adventure you want to go on.
And it'll be a discountbecause it's a groupon.
(10:00):
Tip number six.
A subscription to a magazine he'snever gotten for himself, nor would
he ever, probably because he'ssaying, Oh, that's just too expensive.
It's crazy.
One year I got my dad asubscription to National Geographic.
He never got anything like that forhimself, but he loved looking through the
old magazines and National Geographicsthat were in the care facility that they
(10:23):
were in for a very short period of time.
you've likely heard about thosestories in other episodes, but maybe
we'll talk about that later on.
In any case, he loved learning and readingabout the adventures and their research
being done and shared in each issue.
So I decided to get hima fresh subscription.
(10:43):
my dad would often tell me something thatI didn't know about when we got together.
or something new that he readabout in a previous month's issue.
Dad would always say,Oh, that's fantastic.
Did you know about blah, blah, blah?
No dad, I didn't.
Thanks for sharing.
Tip number seven.
(11:04):
if you're near any kind of body ofwater and your parents loved or like
cruising, but might physically not beable to actually do so, Or, could be
cognitively limited, consider doing a2 to 4 hour short chartered boat ride
Around the local harbor or shore.
Bring a decked out picnicbasket for the afternoon cruise
(11:25):
adventure and have some fun.
This one is easy to do withall your family members.
Bring the grandkids, yoursister, your brothers.
Well, if you don't want them,leave them at home, but hopefully
you all get along pretty well.
And make this one a memorablegift for you and for everybody.
(11:45):
Bring your aides along,bring everybody along.
It's an adventure for everyone.
And yes, it can be a two to fourhour cruise, whatever you want to do.
less the Gilligan's Island crash, ideally.
Tip number eight, I call,how can I count the ways?
This is an easy one and kind of fun.
(12:07):
If you're like me, and we spent hours,sometimes just laughing hysterically,
well, maybe not hours, but at leastan hour or so laughing at the cards in
let's say a Hallmark gift store section,
Then, why not pick up not just one ortwo cards, but 20 Father's Day cards,
and send one a day for the next 20 days.
(12:28):
Or better yet, send one aweek for the next 20 weeks.
Father's Day does not just come aroundonce a year, neither does Mother's
Day, but every day is Father's Day.
So celebrate every day with a little funand a little joy, and a card that might
show up in the mail when you're not there.
You can also create your ownfamily adventure newsletter and
(12:50):
send them to him once a week.
take photos on your phone, put a littlecaption of what happened and some
thoughts and share them with mom or dad.
In this case, dad, becausewe're talking Father's Day.
I used to do weekly letters to mydad with all the week's adventures
and stories that went along.
Some of them got a little embellished,But snapshots of photos that he had
(13:12):
been in New York on business meetings.
Well, we grew up in the Island.
So he was in New York allthe time doing business.
And that I was at now as an adult, myselfmade it fun for me to share with him.
And he remembered everything fromRockefeller center to the tulips
that popped up in springtime,right along park Avenue.
I shared every single one.
(13:34):
And there was always a storythat went along with it.
I call those letters, letters from camp.
Sometimes every day is a camp day.
Right?
Tip number nine is planta tree in dad's honor.
You can plant it in your backyardor someplace special that maybe mom
or dad can come and visit regularly,especially in the springtime if it blooms.
(13:57):
I recommend getting a tree that flowersso that you can see the progress
and they can see the progress too.
I have a good friend who's a founder ofan organization called Heroes to Heroes,
They plant trees in Israel with eachgroup of veterans who have severe PTSD
and Who go and build bonds with Israelisoldiers or veterans who have been in
(14:19):
similar situations and learned to healwith their heads and their hearts.
She planted a tree for my dadwith her veteran guys, too.
Thank you, Judy.
You see, later on in life, my dadseemed to worry a lot about the vets.
A World War II vet himself, he nevertalked about the experiences of war that
were bad, except for one which horrifiedhim, And that was how his commanding
(14:43):
officer behaved with an enemy group afterthey had been captured on the U 505.
It's a pretty interesting story.
I'll put a link in the show notes tothat, but I've got the inside one.
And finally, tip number 10, just spendingtime with your dad, even if it's hanging
(15:03):
out, watching old movies together.
They may be boring for you.
But I'm gonna guarantee they'll be funfor him and just quietly being there
with him and mom Might be the giftthat he's always wanted for a long time
Don't let simple pleasures pass youby and don't let them pass by dad.
(15:23):
Remember the song by Jim Croce?
Cats in the cradle?
When are you coming home, son?
I don't know when, butwe'll be together then, Dad.
I know it'll be a good time then.
Okay, so I'm not a singer,but please, whatever you do,
don't let that happen to you.
Our parents love us, andhopefully you love them too.
(15:45):
The thing here is, a little love, creativethinking, and fun can go a long way.
A traditional watch, a blanket, a burgeron the grill, or just a phone call and a
photo can be a bit dull to you and to him.
those sort of obligatory or obligatory,I'm not going to pronounce that one right,
but I'm going to let it go as a blooper.
(16:06):
They can also lack a bitof heartfelt enthusiasm.
I know we're all busy, but trust me,when dad's no longer here, you'll
look back on the simple and funthings that you did for him and smile.
Every day can be better than thenext, for you and for your dad
too, even if he's frail and yourcaregiving time is exhausting.
(16:28):
All it takes is a little creative magic.,
On that note, you can create just a littlebit more magic for somebody else who's
caring for an aging parent by sharing alink to this show EldercareSuccess.Live if
you'd also share your ideas and thoughtswith me on that page, I'd appreciate it.
(16:48):
You can subscribe there too.
There's a little blue tab on the righthand side that says Send Nancy Voicemail.
That's if you want to send me anote and say hello your ideas.
I'll air them on future showsand give you credit for them too.
sharing your ideas, your thoughts,your comments, and more are a gift
(17:08):
that you can give to everybody.
As I like to say, we'restronger and better together.
I hope you've enjoyed these top 10tips or at least 10 interesting tips on
creating Father's Day gifts that willbe memorable for you and for your dad.
Please enjoy your day.
I hope dad does too.
Be well, stay well, and keep caring.
(17:31):
It's Nancy May from Eldercare Success.
Bye bye.
here are top 10 ideas for last minute Father's Day gifts for an elderly
dad who says, Oh, don't buy me anything.
I've got everything I need.
Stay tuned.
There's a lot more in store.
Hello everybody.
It's Nancy May and welcome toanother episode of Eldercare Success.
(00:21):
This is a special one, becauseit's all about our dads.
But before I get going on that top10 list, one of the things I'm going
to really recommend that you get.
is the book, How to Survive 911Medical Emergencies, a step by step
guide before, during, and after.
There's a lot of information in therethat is easy to follow and easy to
(00:43):
read, including a whole list of thingsthat can help make your life easier as
a caregiver, some of the things thatyou need to take care of mom and dad
that you might not even know about.
And yes, there are also a ton of tipsto make sure that you have a better
experience in the emergency room andthe hospital and making sure that mom and
dad get discharged faster, either to backhome, a care facility or rehab facility.
(01:09):
there's a lot that you don't knowthat you can have more control
over on those situations and more.
So please, I recommend you buy thefive star rated book, How to Survive
911 Medical Emergencies, a step bystep guide before, during, and after.
It's authored by moi.
Yes, and a lot of work wentinto that specifically for you.
(01:34):
And now let's get on with the show.
Father's Day gifts for an elderly dadwho really doesn't want anything or who
really has everything can be difficult.
I mean, honestly, whoneeds another sweater?
Maybe another hat?
I don't know, maybe a meal out?
It's okay, but it's kind of boring, and Idon't want to say thoughtless, but there's
(01:58):
not a whole lot that goes into that.
It's the same old, same old, yearin, year out, what am I going to do?
I'll get him another tie.
Well, an elderly dad probablydoesn't wear a tie too often.
In any case, it's challenging toget something that's from the heart
and that will be helpful to him.
And maybe an aid that's taking careof him or taking care of mom too.
(02:22):
That aid could be you.
Like I said in last week'sepisode, it pays to be a little
creative when out and about.
And when you go that route,it can be lots of fun.
So let me get into these top 10 ideasthat are short notice, easy to pick up
and easy to do, and I'm pretty sure aregoing to be well appreciated by dad.
(02:45):
Idea Number One:.
One challenge that elderly peoplehave is getting overheated, especially
when they're sleeping at night onthose plastic cover mattresses.
Now, okay, incontinence is an issue,which is why a lot of mattresses are
covered with plastic, either in thehospital, well, it also makes things
easier to clean up for them, even at home.
(03:07):
if you have one of those plasticcovers on, let's say, a traditional non
hospital like mattress, you know, thecushy ones, like a Sealy or something
else like that, just to make surethe mattress stays clean no matter
what, accidents happen, that's okay.
They can create a lot of warmthand heat against the body.
There's no breathing of thefabric there and it's difficult
(03:28):
and crunchy to sleep on.
Being too warm is uncomfortable.
Also being too cold is uncomfortable.
but on the case of being toowarm, I found something that's
called a Chills Cooling Pad.
The funny thing is, it wasactually made for dogs.
And I got one for my older dog,who's got a little bit of arthritis
(03:49):
and is feeling the aches and pains.
I can see that.
But dad is not really man'sbest friend, aka a dog.
But I know your dad is pretty special.
The interesting thing is, I wasn'tquite sure whether this cooling
or chills pad would really work.
So I tested it on my older dog.
(04:09):
He seemed to be pretty comfortable on it.
I took my shoes off, walked onit to see if it was really doing
what it was supposed to be doing.
Well, it felt okay.
But then I tested it on my ownbed to see what would happen.
I laid down directly on it.
It's a little chilly.
But underneath the sheets,it's pretty comfortable.
(04:30):
So, Dog Tested, Nancy Tested.
If Dad gets overheated at night, Irecommend finding Chills Cooling Pad.
I'll put a link in theepisode notes for that one.
And just so you know,I got the big dog size.
Not that Dad's a big dog,but, well, maybe he is.
(04:50):
Socks.
Now, number two is socks.
socks sound pretty boring, but the jazzy,crazy, wild, fabulous kind of ski socks
that are out there, those can be fun.
They're a little bit more difficultto find in the summertime,
This time is June, right?
But they can be crazy andwild and easy to find online.
(05:13):
I used to pick those crazy kind of socksup at Dick's Sports anytime I saw them.
Dad loved them and they were fun.
They kept his feet warm with neuropathy,but the rest of his body stayed
cool and comfortable as he wanted.
When his favorite aides, Millie,Iris, and Addie helped him put
those on in the morning, he wouldsay, Oh boy, oh boy, va va va voom!
(05:37):
Ha ha ha ha!
I know those socks reminded him of thetime that he used to ski in college.
Wood skis, believe it or not.
And also the time that he shared whenhis college buddies actually took
him up to the top of a ski slope andpushed him down one of those ski jumps.
He had never been onanything like that before.
(05:57):
Well, thankfully he made it downin one piece because dad was
here with me to 99 and 47 days.
Gotta love that.
Speaking of socks, if you can't find thecrazy ones, Why not paint them yourself?
Go to Michaels or a craftstore and get fabric paints.
You can put XOXO on the top so he can readthem when he's looking down at his feet
(06:21):
and your name or your kid's names, hisgrandkids or anybody else that you want.
Kind of fun.
And every time he puts them on, Iguarantee he'll have some sort of comment.
Ideally, if he loves them.
Tip number three is a story jar.
I love this one because it's soeasy to do and it's ever changing.
(06:43):
Here's what you need to do.
Get a large jar with one ofthose snap close lids on them.
Ideally huge, about a gallon size or so.
You can get them at a variety store, akitchen store, or in most grocery stores.
Or even Walmart and Target.
They're not expensive.
I'd say probably about 5.
Take colored craft paper or smallnote cards and write out a fun story
(07:06):
about an adventure that you all hadtogether as a family, or something
that you've done on your own thatyou wanted to share with your dad.
You can even add small photosscanned in from your computer
and print it out and fold it upwith a little tagline underneath.
the amount of fun you can haveis only dependent upon how many
stories you put in that jar.
(07:27):
Every day for Dad becomes a newjoy filled adventure and a story.
I suggest you even add thelittle wonky stories, like my dad
used to eat everything I made.
It never failed.
Sometimes they were good andsometimes they weren't so good.
True story.
while learning to make bread, well,my breads were kind of doorstoppers
(07:49):
to start until I figured outhow to get the yeast to rise.
Thank you, King Arthur Flour.
But a couple of those loavesended up being doorstoppers.
One, my dad even broke a knife in.
I've gotten a lot better since then.
But I can remember thatafternoon like it was yesterday.
You'll also have a good laugh on that one.
(08:11):
tip number four, if dad enjoyedgardening in years past, but can't
get out to the garden, he's a littlestiff, a little slow, or just, it's
not safe to get out there, Then createa windowsill herb and veggie garden.
You can take all of the suppliesthat you need to do so, bring them
over to Dad, and put them togetheryourself, with his help of course.
(08:34):
Maybe he won't actuallyparticipate, but I can guarantee
he'll give you good direction.
Plant them in a planter that can siton the sill, and when they're ready
to harvest, or cut, scrambled eggs.
Or, a delicious simple syrup that'sflavored with some of those veggie herbs.
(08:55):
That's really easy to do.
All you do is take one cup ofboiling water to one cup of sugar,
add the two together, make surethe sugar is dissolved, stuff a
bunch of those herbs in there.
The best is really mint.
Oh, it's delicious.
Once it's cooled, you can take a coupleof spoonfuls of that delicious liquid and
(09:16):
put it into a fresh glass of iced tea,lemonade, or even an Arnold Palmer drink.
it's a great gift that keepson giving and moving forward.
And it's yummy too.
Tip number five is a special dayout, which is always something
that we love doing, but thisone can be just you and dad.
In this case, if you can't be therewith Dad on Father's Day, which we
(09:39):
all can't, you might want to create acoupon book with ideas and a bunch of
groupon deals with a note on each ofwhat you can do next time you're there.
Maybe even for the next six months asyou come to visit next time, you can
sit down and have fun figuring outwhich adventure you want to go on.
And it'll be a discountbecause it's a groupon.
(10:00):
Tip number six.
A subscription to a magazine he'snever gotten for himself, nor would
he ever, probably because he'ssaying, Oh, that's just too expensive.
It's crazy.
One year I got my dad asubscription to National Geographic.
He never got anything like that forhimself, but he loved looking through the
old magazines and National Geographicsthat were in the care facility that they
(10:23):
were in for a very short period of time.
you've likely heard about thosestories in other episodes, but maybe
we'll talk about that later on.
In any case, he loved learning and readingabout the adventures and their research
being done and shared in each issue.
So I decided to get hima fresh subscription.
(10:43):
my dad would often tell me something thatI didn't know about when we got together.
or something new that he readabout in a previous month's issue.
Dad would always say,Oh, that's fantastic.
Did you know about blah, blah, blah?
No dad, I didn't.
Thanks for sharing.
Tip number seven.
(11:04):
if you're near any kind of body ofwater and your parents loved or like
cruising, but might physically not beable to actually do so, Or, could be
cognitively limited, consider doing a2 to 4 hour short chartered boat ride
Around the local harbor or shore.
Bring a decked out picnicbasket for the afternoon cruise
(11:25):
adventure and have some fun.
This one is easy to do withall your family members.
Bring the grandkids, yoursister, your brothers.
Well, if you don't want them,leave them at home, but hopefully
you all get along pretty well.
And make this one a memorablegift for you and for everybody.
(11:45):
Bring your aides along,bring everybody along.
It's an adventure for everyone.
And yes, it can be a two to fourhour cruise, whatever you want to do.
less the Gilligan's Island crash, ideally.
Tip number eight, I call,how can I count the ways?
This is an easy one and kind of fun.
(12:07):
If you're like me, and we spent hours,sometimes just laughing hysterically,
well, maybe not hours, but at leastan hour or so laughing at the cards in
let's say a Hallmark gift store section,
Then, why not pick up not just one ortwo cards, but 20 Father's Day cards,
and send one a day for the next 20 days.
(12:28):
Or better yet, send one aweek for the next 20 weeks.
Father's Day does not just come aroundonce a year, neither does Mother's
Day, but every day is Father's Day.
So celebrate every day with a little funand a little joy, and a card that might
show up in the mail when you're not there.
You can also create your ownfamily adventure newsletter and
(12:50):
send them to him once a week.
take photos on your phone, put a littlecaption of what happened and some
thoughts and share them with mom or dad.
In this case, dad, becausewe're talking Father's Day.
I used to do weekly letters to mydad with all the week's adventures
and stories that went along.
Some of them got a little embellished,But snapshots of photos that he had
(13:12):
been in New York on business meetings.
Well, we grew up in the Island.
So he was in New York allthe time doing business.
And that I was at now as an adult, myselfmade it fun for me to share with him.
And he remembered everything fromRockefeller center to the tulips
that popped up in springtime,right along park Avenue.
I shared every single one.
(13:34):
And there was always a storythat went along with it.
I call those letters, letters from camp.
Sometimes every day is a camp day.
Right?
Tip number nine is planta tree in dad's honor.
You can plant it in your backyardor someplace special that maybe mom
or dad can come and visit regularly,especially in the springtime if it blooms.
(13:57):
I recommend getting a tree that flowersso that you can see the progress
and they can see the progress too.
I have a good friend who's a founder ofan organization called Heroes to Heroes,
They plant trees in Israel with eachgroup of veterans who have severe PTSD
and Who go and build bonds with Israelisoldiers or veterans who have been in
(14:19):
similar situations and learned to healwith their heads and their hearts.
She planted a tree for my dadwith her veteran guys, too.
Thank you, Judy.
You see, later on in life, my dadseemed to worry a lot about the vets.
A World War II vet himself, he nevertalked about the experiences of war that
were bad, except for one which horrifiedhim, And that was how his commanding
(14:43):
officer behaved with an enemy group afterthey had been captured on the U 505.
It's a pretty interesting story.
I'll put a link in the show notes tothat, but I've got the inside one.
And finally, tip number 10, just spendingtime with your dad, even if it's hanging
(15:03):
out, watching old movies together.
They may be boring for you.
But I'm gonna guarantee they'll be funfor him and just quietly being there
with him and mom Might be the giftthat he's always wanted for a long time
Don't let simple pleasures pass youby and don't let them pass by dad.
(15:23):
Remember the song by Jim Croce?
Cats in the cradle?
When are you coming home, son?
I don't know when, butwe'll be together then, Dad.
I know it'll be a good time then.
Okay, so I'm not a singer,but please, whatever you do,
don't let that happen to you.
Our parents love us, andhopefully you love them too.
(15:45):
The thing here is, a little love, creativethinking, and fun can go a long way.
A traditional watch, a blanket, a burgeron the grill, or just a phone call and a
photo can be a bit dull to you and to him.
those sort of obligatory or obligatory,I'm not going to pronounce that one right,
but I'm going to let it go as a blooper.
(16:06):
They can also lack a bitof heartfelt enthusiasm.
I know we're all busy, but trust me,when dad's no longer here, you'll
look back on the simple and funthings that you did for him and smile.
Every day can be better than thenext, for you and for your dad
too, even if he's frail and yourcaregiving time is exhausting.
(16:28):
All it takes is a little creative magic.,
On that note, you can create just a littlebit more magic for somebody else who's
caring for an aging parent by sharing alink to this show EldercareSuccess.Live if
you'd also share your ideas and thoughtswith me on that page, I'd appreciate it.
(16:48):
You can subscribe there too.
There's a little blue tab on the righthand side that says Send Nancy Voicemail.
That's if you want to send me anote and say hello your ideas.
I'll air them on future showsand give you credit for them too.
sharing your ideas, your thoughts,your comments, and more are a gift
(17:08):
that you can give to everybody.
As I like to say, we'restronger and better together.
I hope you've enjoyed these top 10tips or at least 10 interesting tips on
creating Father's Day gifts that willbe memorable for you and for your dad.
Please enjoy your day.
I hope dad does too.
Be well, stay well, and keep caring.
(17:31):
It's Nancy May from Eldercare Success.
Bye bye.
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